The Ghost of Times Past
by butterfly collective
Summary: Alicia and other members' of the firm and those around them run into some visitors from the past
1. Chapter 1

Alicia looked at the row of empty shot glasses on the bar and found the last one with tequila in it. She picked it up and after pondering it, she shot her head back and swallowed it down in a gulp. She slammed the glass down and gave the bar tender a pointed look.

He lifted up his hands as if she were about to smack him.

"I can't serve you anymore," he said, "You're clearly intoxicated. May I call you a cab?"

She just stared at him moodily and shook her head.

"No…I'm just not used to drinking alone," she said, "You see I usually meet my best friend Kalinda here on Friday nights but ever since I found out about her and my husband."

The bar tender nodded.

"Oh yes…you're married to the guy who sucked the hooker's toes. Or did she suck his toes; I can't remember how the story went."

Neither could Alicia after the fourth or fifth shot.

"I stood by him, did the whole stoic wife thing. I wasn't going to be like all those other wives fighting back tears on Ophrah or chasing a multi-million dollar publishing deal while my lawyer hosed my husband for alimony."

He furrowed his brow.

"But didn't you do Ophrah."

"Yes…but I was much more dignified. I got myself and my kids an apartment and I went to work with my old law school classmate Will at his firm. You've heard of Lockhart, Gardner and well, the last name's always changing."

"Maybe…you defended that guy who robbed every bar with a sawed off shotgun in this side of town," he said, "You got him a couple of years at that Club Fed place where he's got his own cable TV, catered meals and I've heard they have a golfing green."

All of it exaggerated Alicia thought as things started to get hazy. After all, her own husband, her soon to be ex-husband had spent a few months there. Not for sucking on a hooker's toes but for some corruption scam that sounded drier in the media than had the videos showing him with that hooker, Amber or some cheerleader style name like that. He had been cavorting with her and now Kalinda while Alicia had been stuck at home keeping their palacial estate in the suburbs and taking care of their two kids.

"As for Kalinda I trusted her, I didn't know she was my best friend until I told someone for the first time…and then I realized I don't have any friends. Sure she's a bit chilly, even stand offish but I never suspected…and besides I thought she was one of those…lesbians."

The bar tender shrugged.

"You just never know about anyone including those closest to you. I hear about it all the time here."

Alicia picked up one of the shot glasses to see if she'd missed even a few drops of tequila. She felt buzzed but not nearly enough. The one woman she thought her husband…soon to be ex-husband would be save with.

"Then Will…he's my boss and well…we did have an affair…but only because my husband cheated on me with my best friend."

"That'll do it."

"Well that's off because one of my kids…my daughter Grace almost caught us going at it in the copy room," she said, "The conference room was already in use because there's quite a few law firms lined up to do hostile takeovers of your firm. Diane and Eli…they were engaged in trying to oust Will who was trying to oust that guy who showed up last week."

The bartender started wiping the table off. She shot him a critical glance and he looked up at her.

"Go on…I'm set to close in an hour."

"Anyway, my husband, my soon to be ex-husband, he's this very important person."

"The state attorney right…he got reelected through the usual dirty tricks," the bartender said.

Alicia looked at him shocked.

"How…did…you…know?"

The bartender smiled.

"The part about the guy who sucked the hooker's toes," he said, "It's all over You Tube and everywhere else."

Alicia sighed.

"Well, you'd think he'd be grateful for all I did for him while he was with hookers and then the prosecution, not to mention him spending a few months in prison…but no, he takes total advantage of my goodness and is now trying to screw Will…not literally but by ruining his firm."

"That doesn't sound like our new…old and new state attorney not according to the commercials."

Alicia's face became lined.

"He's using the grand jury to go after everyone," she said, "and my chances of being partner are in ruins because Diane…the bleeding heart feminazi partner no longer trusts me."

"Feminazi…isn't that a bit harsh?"

Alicia laughed bitterly.

"She prides herself on being a ball buster and that just makes it harder on those of us who call ourselves that and then cave at the last moment…it's a tough world out there and well…she just makes the rest of us look like we're not trying enough."

The bartender poured himself a drink, a Scotch on the rocks and gulped it down.

"You know you might think you have it tough," he said, "but you're not the only hard luck story I've listened to tonight…even from a lawyer."

She looked totally confused.

"What…but my life totally sucks, who would have it worse than me?"

The bartender gestured towards the end of the bar where a man sat with a bottle of brandy.

"The guy sitting over there, he didn't even want a glass. Just the damn bottle, says the whole damn world is out to get him."

She looked over and blinked her eyes at what looked like Cary, the states prosecutor. The young man with the serious voice who she'd won the junior associate competition against two years ago. She'd used her husband's campaign manager to do it but it hadn't been personal. He'd carried a grudge against her since no matter how nice she acted towards him and him and Kalinda? Well, she didn't want to even go there. The woman with the high boots and the enigmatic attitude acted like she'd been harboring this major secret, when all she'd done was screwed Peter.

And never bothered to tell Alicia about it but Alicia wasn't in any mood to listen to Cary's whining. So she'd used what some might call unscrupulous means to get the permanent associate job, he just needed to get over it already.

"Alicia…"

Oh god, he'd seen her and yet he didn't leave his stool to come closer to her because of course she was supposed to do that in deference to him.

"Alicia…I'll buy you a drink," Cary said, "I've got some pull with this guy. If he doesn't serve you, I'll have his liquor license suspended by morning."

The bartender looked concerned. Alicia merely arched one of her brows.

"Cary, it is morning…at least I think."

He gestured for her to come on over to sit with him. The drink did seal the deal as the bartender sighed as he poured her another shot of tequila. She got up to sit on a stool next to him, nearly stumbling over someone passed out on the floor.

"Oh that's just some guy who got canned by Peter today."

Alicia sat down and drank her shot feeling somewhat better.

"Peter fired more people?"

Cary nodded.

"Yeah, with all of them gone, who's left to go after Lockheart, Gardner and whatever…oops I wasn't supposed to say that."

Alicia shrugged.

"That's okay…I told that ball breaking Diane that if I didn't make supreme partner by next week, I was going to sue her and the silent partners."

Cary nodded.

"I'm surprised you haven't gone to Peter for help."

She shot him a fiery look.

"That's a low blow…he's probably with his latest floozy…I've got Kalinda spying on him."

Cary's eyes shot up.

"But I thought…"

Alicia slammed her glass on the bar.

"No I haven't forgiven that tramp but I need an edge if I'm going to win the divorce. You know once I get the top partner position, I'm thinking of running for office. Eli said I should run for judge."

"No…I think he said that to Diane."

"Well whatever…I know he thinks I can win the position against Wendy…what's the name of the Black woman who ran against my husband?"

"You got it mostly right…but she disappeared after Peter didn't need her for his plans."

Alicia sighed already needing a couple more shots.

"Damn…I wonder if he sucked her toes too."

Cary sighed, picking up his bottle of brandy and slugging it down. He'd left Dana standing in his office with her garter, sheer stockings and nothing else. But he'd had it with these inter-office affairs. He hadn't gotten any in two years and now he was suddenly this stud, what was with that?

He needed another bottle.

* * *

Peter lay back in his bed at the seedy hotel on his cell phone. The latest intern had left the motel room in a rush. He felt not an iota of guilt because he wouldn't have returned to his old habits if it hadn't been for Alicia sleeping with Will.

He'd been good, so very, very good on the campaign trail. Kept his hands to his wife or himself, had been an attentive father to his two very mixed up children and kept the home together while his wife had hardly had time to even talk to her children. Zach had started smoking pot and hanging out with those damn Occupiers and Gracie had run off and joined a religious cult and now he had to pay some shady looking Black Ops guys to break her out.

Zach had tried to call him that morning warning him that after he had hacked into the State Attorney's site to help his dad that he discovered that some of the files had been cloned and that a Trojan horse tracing back to the mysterious Mr. G-Forces had been uncovered. He should have listened to his son but he thought all this had just been a phase.

The phone rang again and he reached to pick it up.

"State Attorney speaking…I'm busy at a meeting but I can get back to you in…"

"Pick up the phone."

Damn if it wasn't Kalinda. What the hell did she want? She'd already slept with him and should be grateful for the experience.

"Yes Kalinda…how can I help you and still keep my job and my shirt?"

She paused. The more subtle forms of humor were totally lost on her.

"I need $2 million to leave the country again," she said, "Blake's resurfaced and he has the actual tape of us together. If I don't give him $5 million and a sexual favor he's going to blast it on YouTube."

Peter thought the guy couldn't be seriously returning. Kalinda must be running another one of her scams.

"Now Kalinda…there is no sex tape."

"There is always a sex tape…it's part of the script on sex scandals."

He tried enunciating his words more slowly.

"There is no sex scandal."

"Not yet…"

"Kalinda…I can't give you the money," he said, "I'm tapped out."

She paused again.

"I need to leave the country," she said, "There's some heat coming down here from the IRS, FBI, and Interpol…Blake is such an asshole."

He sighed.

"I can't help you with that…I've got my plate filled here since the democratic PAC is after my wife to run for my job. I can't believe she's stabbing me in the back like that."

"Yeah she's made my life hell. So I think it's just time to take off…"

Peter listened to her, wondering if she were seriously going to leave town or even the country. But then Chicago was a mean town and it took no prisoners. Well neither did he, he'd shown how ruthless he'd been in his reelection campaign. But he was still trying to track down the Romper Room hosting free-lancing PI who had blabbed to his wife about his one nighter with Kalinda.

The media would be swarming his office soon enough. Because the truth was, that no matter what he did there would always be people who were envious of his importance and power to want to bring him down. Well he wasn't going down…unless it was on a pretty young thing of course. But on the latest allegations of corruption allegations…no he would go down swinging. But he needed some time and he needed a hard hitter not afraid of swinging a baseball bat around to get things done.

"Kalinda…let me see what I can do and I'll give you a call back."

He clicked off his phones and heard the sirens outside.

* * *

Diane got back from her meeting with a media consultant because she was not just going to seize control of the firm but she was going to run for judge after all. She had enough from the stodgy male chauvinists in the firm. She had gone to use her clout on EMILY's List but they found out about her fling with Tea Party toting Kurt McVeigh. Seriously she had been so discreet when hanging out with him, how had anyone found out?

Though clearly someone in the office had overheard their flirtatious banter in her office because after all, the walls had ears….but who would actually sabotage her? Oh, that would be a long list when she started thinking about it.

Just about everyone in the law firm was out to get everyone else. After all, hadn't she been a very diligent mentor to Alicia and how had that vixen repaid her? By teaming up with Will to try to oust her and now Peter was out for revenge.

She wondered if she should have just given it all up and gone to Costa Rica with Kurt. He would be the master in their relationship but she could get over that. Especially if it meant leaving all this madness behind as it had ceased to be fun.

But she remembered she had that meeting with the Chicago Madam who had her ring of call girls busted by Peter's office. Irony of ironies considering his history with hookers but she never called him or his office honest. In fact, she'd sent another email to Cary telling him she was wrong to fire him and that he should come back and he'd get Alicia's office.

Because that hussy was going down in flames if she thought she could become the firm's supreme partner.

If it came down to a battle between her and Alicia, Diane said to herself, bring it on. Then she heard the rattling of chains and looked towards the door and her eyes widened when she saw it standing there.

Stern, she thought his name, was standing by the door fading in and out of view. She stared at him as he pointed a bony finger at her.

"What is it, what is it Stern? What do you want."

He chuckled in that way he had and his voice rasped.

"I want my firm back…and I will get it."


	2. Chapter 2

Diane sat in the doctor's office after he had examined her thoroughly. He'd even run a couple of CAT scans on her head to make sure nothing had scrambled her brain. She must have imagined what she saw inside her office.

The vision of Jonas Stern, only looking somewhat younger than he had at death, rattling chains in her corner office, the one that she still saw inside her head…

He couldn't be real, it had to be her imagination or some attack of paranoia. She hadn't dropped acid in several decades but she had read and heard about flashbacks. That would be somewhat ironic if it were some sort of revisit by her free spirited flower child background, because when she had done acid, Stern had been her partner in crime. Oh, he had become one of the most legendary of civil rights attorneys, so left wing, he made her look like Sarah Palin even though the vision of that killed her. But she thought she had parted on good terms with Stern, oh once you excluded the fact that when she'd been sleeping with Kurt McVeigh who had in the throes of passion yelled out the former vice president candidates name more than once.

She thought about him holed up in Montana training some militia in the wilderness and wondered if he ever thought about her. But then the doctor returned into the office interrupting her. She still remained dressed in one of those ridiculous paper gowns that she had worn during the examination. He looked at her and shook his head.

"You're as healthy as any woman I've ever seen," he said, "The CAT scans came back negative on any form of pathology. So you say you saw your dead colleague as a ghost?"

She nodded.

"Yes and I'm not crazy in case you're considering that but he sounded…upset and I thought he'd taken our ouster of him from the firm as a goodwill gesture."

The doctor jotted notes on his clipboard.

"I thought you said he took his share of the clients with him to his new firm."

Diane waved her hand.

"Oh that…it was just business and besides they all came back after the last shovel of dirt was placed in his grave."

He sat on his cluttered desk across from her.

"There's nothing wrong with you if you aren't crazy," he said, "Maybe it's stress."

She harrumphed.

"Stress…I can handle…I'm a woman who's been highly successful in a man's world. There's nothing I can't handle and nothing I can't break."

The doctor paused writing more notes.

"Okay I can give you the name of someone you can see…"

She put a hand up.

"I refuse to see a shrink. There's nothing wrong with me."

He put his hands up in defense or surrender, she couldn't determine.

"Okay, okay I'm just offering you a suggestion…you claim to be seeing ghosts."

She shook her head.

"It wasn't a ghost. He was some figment of my imagination. I think I'll leave now and just forget this ever happened."

The doctor shrugged, like whatever and continued writing notes as Diane stomped out of his office, then returned.

"I think I forgot something…my clothes…"

The doctor didn't look at her as she went to get them before leaving. At least she knew that she didn't have a brain tumor or other physical condition which was causing her to hallucinate about Stern. But if not, he might just be real.

And if so, then why did he return and did he really think he'd get the firm?

* * *

Alicia poured a double java from her cappuccino machine. Jackie had gifted it to her as a peace offering after their last public brawl at Grace's cotillion. She had eyed it suspiciously at first because Jackie never offered to make peace with her but maybe there was a first time for everything.

Damn if she weren't so hung over. If Peter saw her like this, dressed in her robe and feeling like she'd been kicked by one of Kalinda's boots, he'd try to take the kids away from her again. It was diabolical enough that Jackie had bought their old house in the suburbs from under them but to know that Peter had planned to live there with his mother and the kids. It was like something out of Alfred Hitchcock.

She had no idea where her kids were this morning but it was awfully early. She'd caught Zach looking up old videos of Amber, the toe sucking hooker again and she had threatened to ground him. Not that it did any good if he was going to move in with his father and grandmother. Grace had embraced the Wiccan faith which had been next on her shopping list of religions to try after being a Buddhist didn't work out so well.

The phone rang and she looked at it.

Kalinda.

"Hey what's up?"

Damn if the investigator didn't sound bright and chipper this morning. Much better than Alicia felt after drinking all those shots including the last round bought by Cary before they had both called a cab to drop them off at their respective places of residence. Cary had been stumbling and she'd had to grab hold of him so he wouldn't fall over.

He'd been mumbling something about Dana's sudden departure from the State Attorney's office. How she'd left not long after they'd hit the sack together and gotten some before the conversation naturally had turned to Kalinda.

Who now was on the phone asking Alicia a question.

"Did you want to join me on the stakeout of Miller's house?"

Trent Miller was a man who was married to the wife of a client of Alicia's named Joshua West who alleged that his wife was cheating on him. West looked like he'd walked out of a printed advertisement as the Marlborough cowboy, which is what Kalinda called him.

Alicia had thought he was pretty hot looking, a ruggedly handsome man rather than someone like Will who had flirted with her in the elevator. Mostly because he saw her looking at Joshua and he was acting like a man. She still liked Will but those heated sessions with him at his place, they had to stop. Now that Peter was running for governor and senator simultaneously which kept Eli very, very busy she had to watch her conduct. She had promised him that much.

"Maybe…okay…I'll just have to get ready."

"You were at the bar last night?"

A matter of fact question from someone who was a pro at asking them but one Alicia wasn't sure she wanted to answer right now.

"I…yes I was and I only had a few shots of tequila."

Kalinda sighed.

"Will we have to stop and pick up your car again?"

Alicia thought not.

"No…Zach's going to pick it up," she said, "He's interviewing for a paper route at the Tribune, so he'll get it on his way back."

"Zach's got a driver's license?"

"He's got a permit and Jackie will be in the car with him."

Kalinda fell silent then and Alicia just knew what she was thinking.

"I have not forgiven her for going after our house," she said, "but she can handle this one errand."

"Okay then, I'll pick you up in an hour," Kalinda said, "I'll be driving an old Mustang."

"A what…?"

"A Mustang…where we'll sit and watch the store to see what Miller's doing and who joins him."

Alicia hated these cases that Diane or Will handed her which bordered on sleaze. Wasn't this family court business that she had sworn to wash her hands of from now on? But then Diane had never made a promise that she had kept and Will had been distracted with this Callie chick who just waltzed on in and made a move on him.

"I'll see you in an hour Kalinda."

She clicked off her phone and then she got dressed for the stakeout.

* * *

Cary woke up hung over and after running 10 miles through Chicago's mean streets, he showered, dressed and headed off to the office to work. He hadn't yet told Peter that he was planning on leaving his job there and his miserable cubicle to head back to what Alicia had called "the dark side".

Dana had left town suddenly without a forwarding address and Sophia had tried to pick him up at the bar when it had closed. But he'd gotten into a cab with Alicia and just gone home to sleep it off.

Driving now, he noticed the streets were light of traffic and that most of the people milled at the businesses including restaurants. People laughing and talking, mostly in couples and that of course made him think.

He'd gotten Dana in the sack and of course most of the conversation had been about Kalinda. And then not long after that, Dana had learned she'd been played by Kalinda and Will over that whole grand jury mess. Things just never worked out for him.

First he worked his ass off to win the competition for junior associates at Lockhart, Gardner and [fill in the blank] only to discover that Alicia had used her husband's relationship with consultant Eli Gold to get her the clients she needed to beat out Cary. He then had been hired by the state prosecutor's office and then had ridden the crest of success until he'd been demoted for some stupid reason.

He got his phone from his bed and checked his phone messages. He saw that Will had called him and he checked the voice mail.

"Hey Cary, listen man I know I haven't discussed your return offer to the firm in a few months…but I had this suspension go down and it's going to be finished next week so I'll be back at the office. Diane and I will discuss it with you then you can think about it."

Cary rolled his eyes which turned out to be a painful exercise.

"But I'm going to be playing some pickup basket ball at the gym and I was wondering if you'd like to join me."

Cary considered that thinking that it might be more productive than putting in hours looking at dusty file boxes and reviewing briefs. He had buried himself in his work to stop thinking about a few things and maybe it was time to go out and start living outside of work. He clicked his phone open to call Will.

Will didn't pick up but then no respecting lawyer did, when you were suspended from the bar you had to act like you were still too busy for anything else. Or so Cary had read in the latest issue of The Law Review's article in 10 ways to keep from going nuts during a Bar suspension….not that Cary had any intentions of suffering the same fate as poor Will.

Dana hadn't called him but he didn't think he'd hear from her ever again. So he went back to having dreams about Kalinda…some of them were nightmares.

Will hung up after talking listening to the message Cary had left that he'd meet him at the gym for some pickup basketball. He looked forward to some physical activity. He'd been hoping that the air would clear between him and Alicia but when she'd been up there on stage with her no good husband Peter while he ran for governor it was as if he'd been stabbed in the heart.

After everything that had happened to Will, the investigation for bribing judges, the threat of prosecution and then the bar suspension…he had hoped that Alicia would stand by him like she had her husband. But Alicia's attraction to him, that arduous heat that had erupted between them after she found out Peter had slept with Kalinda, it had cooled when his license had been yanked at least temporarily.

It had been a brutal time but there had been a couple of women like Callie who had made things interesting during his exile.

Callie sat on his desk the other day in a short skirt and wearing a calculated smile.

"Will darling…you've only got 10 days until your suspension ends," she said, "I think you need to find a way to spend them."

He chuckled.

"I just want to forget all of it."

"All of it…even the time we spent together?"

He sighed. She had looked pretty damn hot on the desk and in the background, the television had aired Peter's latest campaign speech with Alicia standing next to him. When push came to shove or her husband ran for some elected office, that's where she had always stood at his side. He had to come to terms with the truth, which Alicia hadn't changed at all. Oh she'd acted like it, she'd shot him meaningful sideways glances, they'd kissed and they'd done more than that several times. But she'd walked away from him to assume her position at her husband's side soon enough.

Now he threw on some casual clothes to go play basketball with the guys including Cary who he heard had been carousing at a bar, the same bar frequented by Alicia and Kalinda back in the days before their friendship had been ruptured.

Not that he wanted to think about the past right now…only the future.


	3. Chapter 3

Alicia went to the conference room to prepare herself before the meeting on a couple of cases that were pressing on the calendar. She saw Diane pouring herself some coffee and Will looking totally distracted. Damn, she'd hoped to be the first one in the room but now it looked like she might be among the last.

She was a working mother, living on her own with two teenaged kids who had been late to school that morning so she had to cut herself some slack. Will just gave her a look like he was remembering what it'd been like to go down on her in her office, which only happened once because she was a consummate professional. But wait a minute, he wasn't looking at her like that, he was looking at Callie who had just entered the room wearing one of those short minis which she totally rocked with her endless legs and narrow hips. She looked like that Ally McBeal character who had set women in the legal profession back years each season she'd been totally clueless on the air. She had caught Grace watching an old episode of that show online and had banished her from the computer for a week.

"Sit down Alicia…we've got something to discuss."

Will said that but Alicia looked over at Diane for direction. Trouble was, Diane looked pale, like she'd seen a ghost. Not herself at all.

"What…more cases Will?"

Alicia had been bone tired from the two all nighters she had pulled during the end of her last trial as first chair and had hoped she'd be able to rejuvenate herself only it had never happened. She'd just had to work harder to do more just to keep up. And with Peter reverting back to form whenever the seductive siren of politics called him, someone had to keep the family together.

"Yes Alicia and now that I'm almost back on the ball again."

She sighed.

"Peter you still have a couple of days left before you're legal again…and we can't risk it."

"I know but I'm itching to get back in the courtroom," he said, "Cary's teaming up with Matan for that drug case and he killed me in pickup basketball yesterday."

"Really…"

"Yes really…I think he's got more suppressed…something than I do."

She heard something like awe in his voice. But she couldn't disagree. She had hoped that Cary's relationship with Dana would smooth out his rough edges but that hadn't lasted long.

Ka-boom and all that and before anyone knew it, Dana had disappeared off the canvas. She'd gone out drinking with Kalinda which was always dangerous and she guessed she hadn't gone home with her. But Cary was plotting his exit strategy away from Peter's draconian double standard of operations. Why had Cary been punished so brutally while Peter had hookers sucking his toes?

But then as Diane had so often told her, it truly was a man's world. She looked over at Diane who smiled at her wanly.

"What's going on?"

The woman looked almost like she was sedated. What had happened to her in the past few days? Diane looked up at her now, her hair disheveled so not like her to abandon her neatly coiffed appearance.

"Oh nothing an exorcism wouldn't cure..."

That confused Alicia greatly.

"Huh?"

"Oh nothing…I had CAT scans done and other tests and the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me. Except the acupuncturist told me to go on vacation."

Maybe Diane really needed one, by the looks of her but by the expression on her face, she knew that she'd rejected that advice.

"I'm not going to let him take the firm."

Alicia arched her brows.

"Who…who's taking over the firm now?"

Diane sighed.

"Never mind…it's not going to happen if I have anything to say about it."

She got up to pour herself something stronger from the liquor cabinet into her coffee.

"Do you think I should see someone?"

Alicia looked up suddenly.

"What?"

"You know…see someone like a therapist or a shrink…"

Alicia felt perplexed.

"Why…is something wrong, what's going on?"

Diane hesitated and Alicia sensed she was evaluating herself for any sign of weaknesses. That had been another lesson learned from Diane, which women weren't allowed to show any at any time. Which meant the next time Will approached her for some…attention; she had to just say no. And now that her husband was on the campaign trail…that would be more important than ever.

"Nothing Alicia…everything's fine."

Alicia looked around the room at Will who flirted with Callie and her damn short skirt and thought this was going to be one of those really long days.

Only to be exorcised later by some good shots of tequila which meant she might have to think about making up with Kalinda.

* * *

The investigator was creeping around the hallways of the State Attorney General's looking for any information that would help with the drug case. But she didn't want to hit up Cary right away because he was still ticked off at her for what happened with Dana. He must have really expected her to betray Will, which meant he really didn't know her. She saw Matan walking down the hallway and ducked in a doorway. She wanted to avoid him most of all except maybe Peter. What was with him, trying to engineer the destruction of the law firm that employed his wife?

She passed Dana's empty cubicle and wondered how broken up Cary had been by her hasty departure. After all, she knew they'd hooked up at some point, not long after Dana had been drinking with Kalinda in the bar. She'd been a beautiful woman, and smart, too smart for her own good but she'd been straight. Her flirtatious nature had just been about satisfying some curiosity.

"Hey Matan…you working on that Tucker arraignment."

She heard Cary's voice addressing Matan in some hallway out of sight.

"Got it done already…guy's going to take a plea. Practically begging for one…but his lawyer wanted to talk to him again."

Cary chuckled.

"I can imagine. I'm assigned to the drug case and Lockhart, Gardner and whoever is handling the defense…"

"Right up your alley then," Matan said, "It must be great getting paid to enact your revenge against them for firing you."

Cary thought about it before issuing a quick answer. When he discovered that his sure thing of winning the junior association contest had been canceled by Alicia's last minute maneuvering, he had been bitter and had sworn revenge on the firm. But as he settled into the position as a deputy state prosecutor, he'd grown to really like it. Fighting on the right side of the law, where the world looked more black and white than it had in his other job.

The bitterness had faded slowly over time. Oh, a residue of it still remained deep inside of him but he'd grown and matured in this job. He could more than hold his own with and against the best at the firm. And there was Kalinda dropping by to fish him for information which he gave out piecemeal determined to always remain one step ahead of her.

Not an easy task considering how cunning she had proven to be. But he had enjoyed it more than he'd ever admit certainly to his bosses.

She was probably lurking in the building right now. He had developed this built in radar when it came to her.

He watched Matan walk away and turned toward his damn cubicle and there he saw her, almost as if she were waiting.

"Kalinda…"

She shot him a neutral look.

"Cary…good how are you?"

"Very well thank you and now that we got that out of the way what do you need from me today?"

She pulled her face back a little to better scrutinize him.

"Why do you think I'm always after something?"

He bit back his smile at the familiar relay of words between them.

"Because you are…"

She sighed, folding her arms, dressed in one of her darker outfits suitable for comfort and style and as always her high boots. She never went anywhere without them.

"Look I'm just looking for a couple of police reports and evidence sheets on the drug case," she said, "I'm perfectly within my rights to get that information."

"Yes…but I already know that Will and Alicia have copies of it back at the office."

She shrugged.

"Perhaps but I need some copies of my own to review…plus the inventory of drugs found in the apartment…"

He looked at her as if he didn't trust her and she knew he didn't. He'd told her as much that one time they'd been walking together on a warrant run. But just when she'd been about to tell him off, that's when gunshots flew all around them and he'd pushed her to the ground to protect her. His quick, almost instinctive move had shocked her but he'd been more undone by the eruption of violence that nearly took them both out.

"Okay…then check with the clerk downstairs…I do not trust you anywhere near my files. Some of the reports in them have a way of walking out of here when you're around."

She looked offended.

"Cary I can't believe you'd think…"

Oh but he never let her get away with anything.

"I don't think Kalinda…I know and no, you're not getting anything else out of me."

She sighed and then smiled again.

"You know I liked you much better when you weren't so enamored with your moral clarity."

He didn't seem too taken aback by her words.

"I liked you better when you were…normal."

She pursed her lips so not liking it when she didn't have the upper hand with someone. She always wanted to be in control in her interactions and Cary just made it so impossible most of the time.

"So did Dana leave a forwarding address?"

His face changed and she knew she'd said too much.

"Kalinda…now that you know you're not getting what you want from me," he said, "Why don't you act disinterested in anything further and just walk on out of here?"

She disliked that attitude even worse.

"But.."

"I have to go…I've got an evidentiary hearing on a case. It's been nice seeing you, goodbye…"

He walked past her blocking the entrance so she had to move outside his cubicle.

"Goodbye Cary…you need to loosen up a bit…"

She walked away from him not looking back. He just shook his head as he often did and took off in the opposite direction.

Suddenly a scream filled that part of the building.


	4. Chapter 4

Kalinda drew her Beretta and ran towards the direction of the scream. She had heard the shrieking just when she had been cursing Cary for being on to her again. What she saw was that someone was waving a baseball bat at Cary and the latest exotic looking assistant state attorney he was probably sleeping with.

"Oh my god, I will so not handle that case."

The woman whose name was Tara had dropped her case files on the floor and he was helping her pick them up. A not so slick move, Kalinda thought.

"Tara…you're the best one for it."

"Oh no I'm not…look I know you think I'm easy…because of that one time when we dropped acid but I'm not going to be in the same room with that perv."

Kalinda checked her out because was pretty and young and pissed off at Cary, all pluses as far as she was concerned.

"What's up?"

Cary flashed Kalinda an annoyed look.

"Nothing that concerns you…and stop looking at her that way."

Kalinda batted her eyes innocently.

"Like what?"

"Like…"

But he stopped talking as she knew that he would and turned his attention back to the flustered Tara who finally noticed Kalinda.

"Who are you?"

Kalinda smiled.

"I'm Kalinda…I'm an investigator and you're…"

The other woman smiled and stuck out her hand.

"I'm Tara and I'm not sleeping with Cary."

He just rubbed the back of his neck thinking it was already going to be a long day. God, everything looked at first like it would be going his way. He'd gotten up this morning, okay with some residue of anger against not winning that contest against Alicia but after sparring with Bobo doll and running 10 miles he'd gotten it out of his system. He had his caseload straightened out, had cleaned out his cubicle and thought about how well things had gone with Tara when they'd gone out for post-trial drinks. But then the woman with the cool attitude and the knee high boots had walked in to make his day more difficult.

"That's…interesting…now I'd better be going," Kalinda said, "If he ever pisses you off, just give me a call…here's my card."

Kalinda handed Tara her business card and the other woman took it, looking at it. Cary just narrowed his eyes at her.

"You were just leaving weren't you?"

Kalinda just shook her head at him and walked down the hallway away from them. Cary needed to lighten up especially if he was ever going to survive his latest humiliation at his job. She'd heard he might be returning to Lockhart, Gardner and whatever and she didn't know how she felt about that. He'd turned into a pompous ass in the past few weeks ever since…

That night in his office when they'd kissed…after they had both barely survived a shootout. She didn't know why they had been casually talking and she had told him to go to hell while SWAT team members with guns drawn were rushing up to the doorway so he could do an interview. She knew that it could erupt violently and that's what happened.

Fortunately no one but the perp had been killed. She couldn't believe then that he'd moved first to save her, to pull her out of danger. Usually men, the weaker sex were pushing her in front of it to protect themselves. But then in the office, he'd been all earnest and then after they had kissed, he had just walked out of there like he was going to have some hissy fit.

"Hey, wait up…"

She looked behind her to see Cary walking quickly towards her.

"Where's Tara?"

He tilted his face.

"She's working on the Miller prosecution but you know that already."

She nodded.

"She's very pretty, but you're already in a lot of trouble."

He stuck his hands in his pockets.

"I know…but did you have to mess with Dana like that."

She just looked at him.

"Dana liked being messed with even if she never told you that."

The angst on his face was visible. Why, she didn't know because he had used Dana just like she had done. But he'd have to figure it out because she had places to go and facts to check out.

"Look Cary…you're the one who blew it with her…and got her demoted so you can't blame her for wanting to change her career direction."

He frowned.

"Wait a minute I'm not blaming anyone…I'm just trying to do my job."

She just shook her head at him.

"Good luck then…"

And with boots made for walking, she headed right out of the door.

* * *

Diane popped another Xanax to deal with the stress that had caused her to wake up from a nightmare. In it, Stern wrapped around in his damn chains had been haranguing her and she had woken up gasping for air.

Then she'd dreamed that she caught Will having sex with Alicia which struck her as kind of funny considering how repressed Alicia had always been about sex. She dressed with high collars and ironed outfits and just seemed to project this air of cool celibacy that bordered on chilly. All the men steered clear of the ice queen as some called her. So why would Diane dream about her having hot and bothered sex with Will? It just sounded so ridiculous.

But she had always found Will to be infuriating in his conservative spin on politics to her liberalism. He seemed to think that feminism was some frilly idea and that the man should wear the pants in the relationship, both in terms of their law firm partnership and in relationships. None of his ever seemed to last longer than a month or so.

But since Kurt had been in and out of her life, dropping in to handle a ballistics case while they frolicked in his office and once at the shooting range, she had been scoping out for some male action…but not much luck. She needed a man to show her who was boss, to tie her down if necessary so she'd be at he mercy. Kurt had done that to her a time or two before slathering her body with barbecue sauce and licking it off her skin. Inflaming he passions, even know thinking about it made her weak in the knees.

"Oh God…"

She wondered if she closed the door and sat at her desk and paid some attention to herself…if she could do so without anyone knowing. She'd just relax, make herself feel good and think of Will…no not him Kurt…yeah that would work.

But before the thought left her head, she saw him striding towards her office very purposely.

Will.

She'd watched him play pickup basketball once with some other lawyers, sweating it up and fighting over a ball as if their lives depended it. The fierce action stirred her in places…it'd been a while since Kurt had breezed into town.

"Hey you got a moment."

She cleared her throat and sat up straighter.

"Anything you need?"

And she meant that, because if he needed to discuss a case, she'd do that and if he needed her advice on more personal matters, she'd do that too. Yeah, he tried to maneuver out of the firm and get her exiled a time or two but she'd tried to do the same to him but every time, they saw the light and got back together.

But the way he looked now in his dress shirt and slacks, it just made her do the slow burn. But instead of looking at her in a way that made her melt inside her woolen suit, he pined for that ice queen Alicia. Even after she had stood by her husband at the press conference where he announced his decision to run for governor…after she'd gone through hell because he decided to suck on some hooker's toes...

Not to mention how disgusting that was…Diane didn't suck toes. But she eyed Will and licked her lips thinking that she'd like to taste other body parts. He pulled at his collar.

"Uncomfortable Will…?"

He frowned, his face creasing.

"Yeah someone increased the thermostat in the office have you noticed?"

She shook her head completely innocent. But during a Chicago winter, how were the men going to take their shirts off so she could check out their gorgeous bodies if she didn't crank up the heat at the office?

"No…really…I'll have maintenance look into that."

He nodded and then went to pour himself some water from a pitcher there. She gestured at him to sit down.

"Will…we're going to have to make budget cuts and I think Alicia might have to go."

He shook his head vehemently.

"You can't mean that?"

"Yes I do…we're hiring Cary back and he wants a corner office, his own company car and an expense account."

"He'll get all that…but you can't fire Alicia."

"Why not…she's had two years to loosen up a bit and she still just looks so frigid. It's bad for the image at the office."

He pulled at his collar again.

"Is this about Peter running for governor?"

Diane shook her head.

"That's the only thing working in her favor actually."

Will placed his head on his hands, the implications hitting him hard. Yes, Alicia had left him because she'd gone back to her loser of a husband but he still harbored hopes…

"Okay…I'll have a talk with her and see if she'll loosen up," he said, "She's back to drinking shots with Kalinda on Friday nights."

Diane nodded.

"That's good…god if she only swung that way then I…"

"What Diane?"

Damn, she'd spoken out loud again.

"Oh nothing Will…I'll see you at the 3 o'clock."

He nodded and stood up. She checked out his fine form when he did before he left the office. She then went to get some ice cold water not to drink…but to flush against her heated skin.

* * *

Peter looked at Alicia.

"Zach got caught reading porn again at school."

She looked at him stunned.

"Peter I didn't know anything about that," she said, "I've been putting so many hours at the firm."

He sighed running a hand through his graying hair.

"You might want to think about quitting?"

"What Peter…I'm about to go out for partner?"

"I need someone to keep the house for me now that mom's bought it back and make sure our children aren't off joining religious cults or calling sex sites."

She felt shame burn through her at his words. She'd always tried to do it all, to be a good mother, a good wife and a great attorney.

"I can't…what I do is just too important. I help people, I save lives…"

He arched his brows.

"Isn't that going a bit overboard?"

"No not really…"

"Eli thinks it's a great idea."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Eli's a creep, always skulking around the office trying to get dirt on everyone."

Peter shook his head.

"He's got a girlfriend," he said, "She's a freshman at Northwestern and she keeps him busy enough."

Alicia nodded, remembering that Eli always had a thing for the young girls. Not that she cared, because it kept him out of her hair.

"Good…then he can leave me alone…now I've got work to do if I'm ever going to make junior partner by the time I'm 50."

She picked up her briefcase to leave him. She had to meet Kalinda to go interview some witnesses in one of her cases. Time was a wasting and she didn't have time to waste.


	5. Chapter 5

Diane couldn't even believe she was sitting in the boardroom with Will asking him for help but the chains rattling ghost of Stern had driven her nearly to madness.

"I need your help."

The four worst words in the English language, Diane thought and she had just said them to Will of all people. The weakest link in Lockhart, Gardner and whatever and it was his fault the firm was going down like the Titanic or over the cliff like a train wreck.

All his fault.

She'd been busy trying to get that hunky McVeigh guy to notice her again. Even went out and injected some more Botox in her forehead, liposuctioned her face some more and tinted the grey in her hair. Will and the silent partners had hired some bimbos to run the front office, all with bubbly personalities, little in the way of brains and who wore short skirts and high heeled shoes. Diane had half the mind to dial up Kalinda and have her whip out her Beretta and rid the place of the under 25 crowd. But then she remembered that Saint Alicia's impressionable daughter Grace had started interning at the firm while Peter and his good wife were dealing with the dual challenges of institutionalizing his mother Jackie and confronting Zach's porn addiction.

His on and off girlfriend Becca had turned him on to filming extremely low budget skin flicks inside the new house while both his parents were busy working. Now Peter was trying to get Alicia to give up law all together, her path towards partnership at the firm and to be the housewife and mother he needed to win the governorship.

Now as it stood, Eli had been chastising him carrying a whip which he cracked in the air occasionally to punctuate his points. Saying that Alicia had cast a ripple in his campaign by allowing her children to run amok and her mother in law to come running after her with a steak knife. Now that Jackie was safely locked up in a straitjacket at some mental hospital, there were still the kids to deal with in attempts to do some serious damage control.

But none of that had to do with Diane and her crisis with Will over what to do with their firm. If Saint Alicia left tomorrow they would no longer have to pay her exorbitant salary. They could simply double Cary's when he moved on back to the firm from his flirtation on the wrong side of the law while working as a state prosecutor.

Will sat there across from her, his hands folded looking way too pleased with his advantage over her. Strictly temporary of course, as soon as she got her ballast back, she'd kick his sorry ass to the curb. He had just tried to betray her way too many times already to keep around the moment it no longer became necessary.

But she knew his weakness and that was Alicia. After all, they'd been hot and heavy more than once and she had caught them doing some naughtiness in the elevator on surveillance tape. It was locked up in an office safe which hadn't made much sense at the time but now…it would help her maneuver into a better position against Will and the loyalist partners.

"So what might I do for you Diane?"

Oh the way he said that so smugly almost made her retch but then she remembered the one chapter in Sarah Palin's autobiography that actually resonated with her. The woman had pluck as misguided as she might be.

Diane had pluck too and Will was about to get a dose of it if he weren't careful.

* * *

Alicia had gotten out of the elevator bypassing that atrocious blonde pixie cut wearing lawyer who toted her growing tribe of babies around with her while she worked. She and Louis had attempted to financially break the firm but so far hadn't been successful. Yes, they had gotten a major client but that Bishop fellow had shifted more of his business, legal and otherwise in their direction.

That must mean that he was over his tiff with Kalinda over what that FBI agent Lara or whatever her name was had done. She had done her best to have Kalinda's back but the investigator had just told her to buzz off. Then they had started fondling each other. To each his own, Alicia mused before heading back to her office to get some work done. If the firm was going down, she had to position herself best to emerge the winner.

But then she heard rumors that they were trying to woo Cary over here again and how was she going to stop that? She didn't trust him at all, he just looked and acted too damn innocent and…nice. No one could be that nice certainly after they'd been screwed over by her…not that it had been personal. But a good wife had to do what she had to do to protect her position and face it, he billed many more hours than she did, because she'd been too damn busy dealing with her wayward kids, her tyrannical mother in law and her backsliding no good in his ambition husband.

"Alicia…"

She looked over at Eli who must have followed her up here. He had an office here but he hardly ever used it.

"What is it now?"

Eli licked his lips.

"We need to rethink your image."

She frowned at him.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Everything."

"What do you mean everything?"

He sighed dramatically and she silently hoped he'd go indulge in his fascination for much younger women rather than stand here and harass her about image and style.

"Did my husband put you up to this?"

Eli smiled innocently like a Cheshire Cat. She half expected him to start fading out around the edges.

"No…why would you ask that?"

She folded her arms.

"Because most of the time it's the truth…I'm not taking my social cues from a man who sucked a hooker's toes."

Eli looked pained.

"Alicia…dear that was years ago."

She sighed.

"Not to me…and everyone at the office. They just look at me and think I either got this nice spacious office and a huge raise because I'm married to Peter and not sleeping with him or that I'm sleeping with Will without being married to him."

Eli just shook his head.

"Alicia, you're complicating the situation."

"How so…?"

He whipped out his wallet and pulled out some plastic.

"Here…take one of these nice cards and go out and buy yourself something nice…respectable…"

He looked over where Grace was stacking files.

"Oh and buy her some clothes as well," he said, "She looks like one of those gothic waifs."

He said that with such distaste but Alicia couldn't really argue with him. Her daughter embarrassed her too.

Then the elevator opened again and out came Cary…carrying a box which included inside it, files, books and a flowering plant. Alicia and Eli both looked at him.

"What are you doing here?"

Cary smiled at them.

"Moving in…I took the job offer, told Peter to take a hike and I'm back here…"

Alicia just sighed, not knowing how to take that news.

"Cary…did my husband fire you?"

He shrugged as if he didn't care too much.

"Yeah…where's my office by the way?"

Alicia honestly didn't know.

"You might want to check with Will on your assignment."

Cary sighed, putting the box down.

"He doesn't like me much these days."

Alicia looked over at Eli.

"That's because you tried to ruin him Cary…but I know that was my husband's doing. Because he and I…well never mind…"

Something flashed in the younger man's eyes that made her think he might know about that. Then the elevator opened again and off strolled Kalinda dressed in her black leather outfit and her boots. She just looked at the lot of them with something akin to pity.

"What are you all doing here?"

Alicia, Cary and Eli just looked at each other and then back at her.

"We're plotting a takeover…"

Kalinda didn't look like she cared.

"Really…then why are you telling me?"

Eli arched a brow, nodding.

"She does have a point," he said, "We'll have to move this to my office."

"My office," Alicia asserted.

Cary just looked befuddled and a little sad.

"Where's my office?"

Kalinda suppressed a smile.

"It's over there…"

She pointed with a gloved hand and he followed the direction.

"All I see is a bunch of tables with first years sitting there," he said, "no offices."

She smiled at him then.

"Cary…you are a first year…remember you got fired a year ago because you just didn't make the cut."

He fumed as the memories returned from where they had been stashed, hidden away even from himself. Especially from himself.

"Kalinda…I'm sure it's only temporary."

She nodded, still smiling in that way of hers that made his toes tingle.

"Yeah…right…"

Then she walked away from him, leaving him standing there to pick up his box of possessions.

* * *

Peter picked up the phone inside the shaded motel room.

"So you think that Lockhart, Gardner and whatever is vulnerable."

"Sure thing, one of the partners, the woman's libber is seeing ghosts."

That caused Peter to furrow his brows.

"What ghosts?"

"Oh just one of the dead partners," the caller said, "Nothing to worry about…do you want me to keep reporting back?"

"Yes…oh yes….oh god yes," Peter said, nothing pleased him more than having his toes sucked and since his wife wasn't up for it…

"What did you say? Was that a yes, to keep reporting or a yes not to report?"

Peter thought he needed someone a little bit smarter but it was such short notice.

"Keep reporting…I want to know everything and I want bugs in every office and wire taps on every computer…"

"That's phones actually that are wiretapped."

"Oh whatever…you were the one who was the expert on all this not me."

"Of course…I'll report back to you later then…and we'll meet in a secret location."

Peter agreed.

"I'll see you then…and my wife must not ever suspect…she's got a soft spot for Will after all."

"Agreed…"

Then both phones clicked off.


	6. Chapter 6

God Diane wanted to knock him right out of his chair and on his smug ass. It was a rare day when she could be absolutely sure Will wasn't going to turn around and double cross her. Back when that weasel Bond had been setting them both up to go at each other's throats so he could get control of the firm.

She looked at Will now after she had told him that she feared that their firm was in danger not from Louis or the pixie attorney who had double crossed them out of their most lucrative client in a game of bait and switch. Yes that had been bad indeed but this was something else, some other threat looming on the horizon.

That her partner could handle, not anything hinting that their ex-partner Stern was rattling chains around his old haunt. She just couldn't figure out why she so far had been the only person able to see him.

"Look Diane, you're being paranoid again," Will sighed, "No Alicia and I are not plotting against you or anyone else."

"You slept with her Will," Diane said, "the surveillance cameras caught the two of you in the elevator."

Will sighed.

"Oh that, it was all innocent Diane…any reasonable person wouldn't believe one little kiss meant we were plotting to take over Lockhart, Gardner and whatever."

Diane fumed when she said that because she'd originally wanted to take Alicia under her wing and mentor her. Will's words that she turned on her protégés the minute they surpassed her stung even today. She'd been sincere in her intentions to help Alicia; really she had especially after she realized that Alicia would prove to be the key to bringing in Eli Gold as a partner.

"You kissed her quite passionately."

Indeed, Diane had felt heat inside her watching the camera while Will simply took Alicia in his arms and kissed her hungrily…more so than he had kissed what's her face who had run off to take a job in London or Callie even.

"I'm not going to deny that…except to say it's not going to happen again."

Diane arched a brow.

"Oh really Will…I find that hard to believe. You're in love with her just admit it and you've been in love with her since Harvard…"

"Georgetown…"

She nodded.

"Oh right it was Cary who went to Harvard," she said, "I wish I could take back the time that I ever decided to fire him because of that stupid contest."

"We only had enough money for one associate."

She snorted.

"No we could have afforded both of them," she said, "You chose to do it this way for sport."

Will denied that vehemently.

"Diane you really are acting paranoid," he said, "I wanted them to compete with each other, so the cream would rise to the top…and it did. Alicia was the better associate."

Diane's eyes flared.

"Bull shit…you're just saying that because you slept with her."

"No…I didn't sleep with her until afterward…oh wait did I just say that…?"

Diane folded her arms and smiled widely at him.

"Yes you did and I don't believe you…"

He tilted his face in disbelief.

"Oh and I'm supposed to believe you didn't seduce Cary," Will said, "When you welcome someone to the dark side there's different ways to interpret that."

Diane threw her hands up in the air.

"I can't even believe you're saying this," she said, "Cary's just so…so not what I go for…"

Will chuckled clearly enjoying himself.

"I'll bet…"

They heard a knock on the door which Diane preferred to the rattling of chains. Will brightened.

"Alicia…"

She smiled, her hair pulled severely back off of her face. She'd worn bang for a while that looked like they'd been cut with the blade of an ax but thankfully she'd grown them out. Whether or not it had to do with what Peter wanted, Will didn't know. But she'd been taking this whole "good wife" act too far lately.

"Will…how are you today?"

He felt perfectly fine and sparring with Diane had heightened his enthusiasm. His bar suspension had just ended and he couldn't wait to go back to court.

"Great…on that lawsuit, you're my second chair…"

She sighed.

"What about Cary?"

"I put him out with the first years," Will said, "That will teach him a lesson about betrayal."

Diane rolled her eyes. All Cary had done was to pick himself up after being brutally fired and gotten a job with the State Attorney's office and he'd done that job so brilliantly. Yeah he blew it when he admitted he'd slept with some woman there to Peter but now he was back at the firm. And as soon as Diane could arrange to kick one of the partners who'd been slacking lately out of his office, she'd move Cary right in it.

If Will didn't like it, tough…why should Alicia have a huge office while Cary had to share a table with other new hires like he was in grade school? He'd taken it so well too, smiling and greeting her when she passed him by. So he did seem to disappear to take phone calls from his ex-boss and seemed overly friendly when Peter dropped by to insinuate himself in his wife's work day.

"You should have learned something about betrayal Will."

He sighed deeply.

"Don't tell me we're going to go down that road with Bond and company again…cause it's a two way street."

Diane threw up her hands.

"Don't look at me," she said, "and I'll be handling the Smith defense and I'm going to need to borrow Cary whether you have a problem with it or not."

Will moved his hand dismissively.

"Whatever…just get out of my sight so I can confer with Alicia alone."

Diane gave them both one last look and then walked right out of there. Alicia just rubbed her head and looked at Will puzzled.

"What was that all about?"

But Will didn't know where to start.

* * *

Kalinda had returned the sledge hammer to Home Depot after dismantling her wall with it. The stash she had stored in there waited and she'd packed a bag with whatever she needed.

Time to split Dodge she had decided until…Alicia had called her and said some guy with a creepy voice from up in Canada had called her at _home _using her first and last name. Now as far as Kalinda was concerned that was just war. Her husband had crossed the line and messed with her home girl. They still had to work on rebuilding their friendship after the really big revelation of when Kalinda had messed with Peter that one night. But after offering Alicia an assortment of alcoholic drinks, she had finally grabbed at the tequila and they were back to swapping information. Well, Kalinda didn't say much but Alicia didn't seem to mind. They just got drunk in silence most of the time.

Kalinda knew she had to stay and that meant she had to pack some heat, keeping it close to her. Most people would say she did it for herself including Cary in that smug way of his but he and they couldn't be more wrong about right now. She knew her husband would be pissed off when he discovered where she'd been hiding out.

Changing her name hadn't helped very much.

She saw Diane leave her office in a huff and she knew Will must be there. She'd always liked him much better than Diane. But then she had been the one to push Will and Alicia closer together for reasons not fully explained.

"Hey Kalinda…"

She looked up and saw Cary getting up from his ridiculous chair at the table with the rest of the baby attorneys. Will had punished him for that witch hunt that he had conducted from the State Attorney's office and Cary would just have to do his penance before an office suddenly cleared out for him.

"What Cary?"

He walked on over looking almost sheepish but she knew it to be just an act. Cary had never actually had a sheepish moment in his life. But then he'd never had his sense of entitlement shattered until he'd lost his job here. She thought he had the humble routine down pat when he returned like the prodigal son but she knew it had to be an act.

He hid something from all of them. Most likely that he was spying for someone else, most likely his ex-boss Peter. After all, when she'd been hanging around on the fringes when they'd all gone to the bar, he'd left abruptly to take a call from Peter…the man who had just fired him.

But then she couldn't really think about him right now, not when her faceless ex was making harassing phone calls to Alicia.

"You got a moment?"

She smiled slightly.

"Not really Cary…can it wait?"

He looked at her, his face puzzled. Hadn't anyone ever told him to wait before? Then he smiled and nodded.

"Ah yes…I should have known. I have fallen from grace and I've learned from that but I still have to prove myself to everyone."

She appraised him coolly. After all, the man-boy in front of her had her arrested and jailed until Alicia went on a tear threatening all kinds of mayhem and got her released.

Did that mean Alicia had forgiven her for her sins?

"Cary, this isn't the Genesis or the Garden of Eden, it's a law firm and everyone here's very busy."

"I know that Kalinda, it's just that…"

Then he appeared to lose his chain of thought and just stood there while Kalinda folded her arms.

"I have to go now," she said, "I've got to hire a drywaller…"

"A what…oh never mind…"

He wandered off back to his work station and she headed to the elevator to head on home early. She had a feeling someone might be waiting for her.

The elevator opened and suddenly shots rang out and everyone ducked…except for her.


	7. Chapter 7

The moment that Kalinda heard the shots ring out in the lobby of Lockhart, Gardner and whatever she knew what she had to do. Everyone ducked for cover behind whatever piece of furniture they could find.

But she reached for the Colt Magnum she kept handy and she fired it back towards the elevator. If her louse of an ex-husband had shown up at long last, she would take care of him pretty quick.

"Ow…damn it…Kalinda put the gun down."

She looked up and saw that Lara had just walked in dressed in her three-piece no nonsense suit and just stared at her. Kalinda did put the gun down but then put one of her hands on her hips in response.

"Lara…what are you doing here?"

The FBI agent just put her hand on her chest.

"Kalinda…if your aim had been any better…"

The investigator shrugged, putting her gun back in her ankle holster.

"It's a slow day…a couple more shots and I would have had you."

Lara smiled.

"Lead or tequila…you know I prefer the latter."

Kalinda shrugged again.

"Whatever…the rest of you, you can come out now."

Cary came out first and she remembered how one time after she'd told his preppy boy ass to go to hell he had shielded her from a blaze of gunfire. No regard for his own life, just protecting her. Of course that left her thinking she had to pay him back with her currency of choice which was sex. But after they'd kissed in his office, he'd high tailed it on out of there.

What a wimp she thought. But then a smart one. Lara was someone from her past who she'd flirted quite heavily and given some finger play to, because she needed her information. Maybe she should start paying off her favors with money instead.

"I can handle this…"

Kalinda rolled her eyes at Cary who had come out after the danger had passed. After all, it could have been her ex standing there instead of one of her ex-lovers. Lara just honed her eyes on Cary.

"Who are you?"

He cleared his throat.

"I'm Cary…I used to be on your side. Well kind of…I worked as a deputy state attorney."

She nodded.

"I kind of remember you," she said, "You were getting it on with the chick that worked for you…the one who kind of wanted to try being into chicks but when Kalinda called her bluff…"

Cary put up one of his hands.

"No need to go into all that," he said, "Why are you here?"

Lara chuckled at him.

"None of your business little boy," she said, "I'm here to bust Kalinda's chops."

Cary still seemed taken aback at all this girl on girl action in his midst. He just didn't get women who didn't turn to guys like him but instead to each other. But then after having been toyed with by Kalinda while his feelings were ground to dust had left him feeling more than a little bit embittered.

Kalinda set her jaw.

"You come and try anything on me," she said, "I'll give you the finger again."

Lara sighed.

"That's what I'm hoping…I've missed you a lot."

Kalinda shook her head.

"It never worked between us," she said, "I actually don't want to use you and I don't know why."

Cary threw his hands up.

"I knew it…I knew it…she had been using me all this time."

Alicia who had been silent up until now hidden behind a desk cast him a withering glance. Her sharply cut bangs and heavily made up eyes only added to the effect.

"Cary shut up," she said, "Go back into your corner."

Only he didn't have one. Since being hired back, Will had tried to shame him by parking him with the new arrivals. Oh the humiliation, but Cary was a long term planner and he's show them all. Alicia certainly wouldn't emasculate him the way she had done Will.

Lara flicked her hair back.

"Kalinda I need to talk to you," she said, "About Bishop…"

The other woman folded her arms.

"He threatened me because you couldn't deal with him yourself."

"I know but I was vulnerable," Lana said, "You make me that way…the way you look at me."

Kalinda tilted her face.

"I haven't noticed that lately," she said, "You've been doing questionable things…"

"It's the job," Lana said, "nothing personal…"

Kalinda couldn't give her too tough of a time. After all the woman who had messed up her life had been Alicia when she had pursued the trail on that damn check from her husband that had never been cashed…she should have left well enough alone. He had called her poor Alicia at her house and now he was coming after her.

Now Kalinda had to break into her armory in her wall and protect her.

"I have to go now," Alicia said, "Peter needs me."

Kalinda sighed.

"You need to just cut loose from him," she said, "All you do is help him with his endless political campaigns."

Alicia frowned.

"He needs me," she said, "Jackie…his mother is trying to control everything. She faked a heart attack, she faked a stroke. She gave me this "I forgive" you crap and she's still trying to corrupt my daughter Grace by getting her into that snotty cotillion."

Kalinda nodded.

"I'll arm you then," she said, "I've got an AK 47 in my apartment. Perfect for meddling mother in laws."

Alicia just stared blankly at the investigator. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. She knew Kalinda was hard core but about women, not guns. Jackie might be crazy but she wasn't yet enough so to be put out of her misery by riddling her with bullet holes.

A hand went up from behind a chair. Alicia looked over there.

"Eli Gold?"

He stood up on and smiled at everyone.

"I just want to say that I can handle Jackie..without bloodshed."

Alicia sighed.

"I hope so…because the woman's driving me bonkers and I'm tempted to take Kalinda up on her offer."

Kalinda smiled.

"I got some Uzis too and some pens that fire nerve gas up to 10 feet."

Alicia frowned again. Where did Kalinda get her hands on all this stuff? Did it have anything to do with this absentee husband who kept harassing her on the phone with that raspy voice of his? Kalinda had promised that nothing bad would happen to her at least with him. But the way she'd been packing since he first started calling, it had Alicia more than a little concerned.

Diane crawled out from the huge chair and made it to the shag rug in the center. She looked up at Lara.

"What are you doing here?"

Lara folded her arms.

"I just told you it's none of your affair," she said, "I'm here to see Kalinda only."

Diane stood up on shaky legs. She'd never felt the same since she'd see the ghost.

"Just leave us…so I can call in a construction crew to fix this office. We've got some important clients coming later."

Cary cleared his throat.

"I'll be more than happy to facilitate the meetings with them," he said, "I've got more billable hours…"

Alicia threw him a pithy glance.

"Cary…I've got a life, I've got a family…I don't need to hide my lack of either behind my work."

The younger lawyer looked a bit wounded but his smile brightened.

"Okay then…should I stock up the buffet before they arrive Diane?"

The partner smiled at him.

"We can meet privately and discuss strategy beforehand."

Cary agreed quickly enough and Diane thought of her collection of whips, chains and floggers inside the secret room of Lockhart, Gardner and whatever that not many knew existed.

But behind them, the ghost watched diligently before fading away again into the woodwork.


	8. Chapter 8

Diane hadn't been so drunk in ages as she sat at the bar gulping down the shots of tequila. A tradition she'd picked up from Kalinda who told her in her earnest fashion that was adhered to whenever someone hung a jury at trial.

The state prosecutor, a pimply guy who looked 18 hadn't been amused by Diane's invite for a post-mistrial drink. God, how uptight could he be, it's not like she planned to go all Mrs. Robinson on his sweet ass. He should be so lucky if she showed him how artful she could be with her tongue.

But he had vetoed her offer and everyone else had left early so she went to the bar by herself. The bartender started lining up the shots in a row for her to gulp back one by one.

She couldn't stay in the office by herself at Lockhart, Gardner and whatever, not with Stern wandering around the building rattling his chains like some legal eagle version of Jacob Marley. But she wasn't Ebenezer Scrooge in this scenario that would have to be Will Gardner who'd been a grump since his bar suspension ended. He'd moped in his office most of the day before grabbing his jacket when Alicia invited him to go to Grace's school play.

The man was pathetic because Diane knew that Alicia would never take him back after swearing allegiance to her husband and his political career. He was hot and heavy running for governor right now and Eli Gold was pulling all the stops to get his face everywhere on the canvas. Zach, the older kid was on the campaign trail as well when he wasn't getting in trouble at school.

Alicia wasn't in Peter's bed yet but she soon would be and then she'd be able to play all the angles to get lucrative clients for Lockhart, Gardner and what's his name. But then maybe that's why that fool Stern had returned from the dead. Maybe he was warning them about getting too tied up with Peter and his campaign machine. After all, Peter had been dirty, Diane knew it even if he'd not been retried on corruption charges.

Diane drank away remembering the stories about Peter Florrick and those damn hookers including that Amber chick who tried to parlay her 15 minutes of notoriety into something greater.

* * *

Kalinda just stared at Lana.

"I can't believe you followed me."

The FBI agent looked miffed.

"I didn't follow you," she said, "Burke is assigned to follow you not me."

Kalinda looked around and she saw the burly man talking on a cell phone a few yards away.

"Him….you must be kidding me."

"No joke," Lana said, "and he gets a corner office not a cubicle."

Kalinda knew why. Lana had been demoted once news about her…getting handled by Kalinda leaked out. It shouldn't bother her though because when it came to finger play, none gave better than she did. Lana had nearly melted into a puddle on the floor while Kalinda had just walked away from her after she had finished.

"Quit the Bureau."

Lana blinked her eyes.

"You serious, just quit like that?"

Kalinda nodding not believing it to be a big deal…after all the government jobs were so constraining and Lana could earn so much more with her skills in the private sector.

"Yeah you could work for a law firm."

Lana just laughed and shook her head.

"Like you do," she said, "Kalinda you've been jailed twice."

Kalinda shrugged.

"So…I can handle myself. "

Lana's face sobered.

"What about Bishop?"

Kalinda shook off the trace of nervousness.

"What about him?"

Lana sighed.

"He's no one to mess with unless he wants to be messed with."

Kalinda knew just how much and she'd scraped by just barely in a couple of her encounters with him. He'd laughed it off but his eyes bore menace. Still he'd backed off because he liked Alicia so damn much for some reason.

But she knew to be cautious still because the man had killed his wife in the midst of a divorce proceeding and gotten away with it.

Not that it was difficult in Chicago.

Lana's eyes narrowed suddenly.

"Who's that over there?"

Kalinda followed her line of vision and she felt irritation fill her.

"Cary…"

"Who…?"

"Cary Argos, you know the former state prosecutor who got me jailed last year."

Lana nodded.

"I see…god he looks like a wimp," she said, "He's not still working there…"

Kalinda shook her head.

"No…he's back in the fold at Lockhart, Gardner and fill in the blanks."

"So what," Lana said, "he looks harmless enough."

Kalinda knew that and that she could control him but there were times he seemed only a half step behind her unlike the full step of most people. The guy could kiss for a straight guy, but he had turned his back on her after he planted one on her mouth.

Whining about her being inside his head, kissing her boldly and then walking away from her while she processed it. Man that took some balls.

Suddenly he walked on over, with a confident smile on his face.

"Kalinda…what a surprise."

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Did you follow me?"

A question she'd been asking a lot lately but she'd been paranoid since her ex started calling Alicia creeping her out. Kalinda had promised the icy Alicia that she'd fix the situation but instead she'd bought herself an Uzi on the black market and turned her apartment into a fortress awaiting his arrival.

But not much had happened so far. Lana had crept out from under her rock to tail her again. Burke this burly looking agent had been assigned to do that and then Cary showed up. She wished she'd taken the day off and gone to down some tequila shots instead.

* * *

Alicia held herself rigid when Peter pecked her lips in front of the cameras. They were under bright lights and heavily made up to film a political advertisement for the governor's race. She hated having his mouth on hers that he'd used to scandalize himself while state attorney the first time around.

"Oh honey, you can do better than that," he chided, "Play it up for the cameras."

She bit her lip hard. They hadn't shared a marital bed yet but he made it clear that he wanted her to do that before the campaign heated up in the fall. His mother Jackie had risen nearly from the dead to help run Peter's campaign willing herself out of her sick bed because she didn't trust it to anyone else.

Including Eli Gold who she'd convinced herself was a shyster who needed to be watched carefully. He had a thing for young girls, Jackie noticed. He had these odd interactions with Zach's sweet little friend Becca and then there was the illegal alien nanny caper.

Somehow she had to find a way to get rid of him for good and make it look like an accident. There was still time to plan it although she might have to seek out some hired help to carry her plot out. Peter must never know she was involved in any way.

She had her own plans for guiding her son's political career during this newest, most exciting chapter of his life. Then once she checked Eli off of her list, she'd find a way to get rid of Alicia.


	9. Chapter 9

Kalinda looked at the dead body that had somehow fallen 14 stories out of her apartment building. The man who now lay splattered across several square yards of pavement had tossed a bunch of eggs at her and ordered her to make an omelet for him.

That hadn't gone over well with her so out the window he went tumbling. Oh maybe some of her neighbors would think he'd tried to fly but Kalinda put her black belts and favorite pair of boots to good use and in what could only be described as a well choreographed ballet of sorts, she had sent him flying out the window.

She saw the people walking by look down at the body but did any of them call the police? Not that she cared…the body would never be tied back to her because it was buck naked…what was left of it and the feral dogs could pick at the rest of it. Soon enough she heard sirens and she closed the window not carrying to watch the rest of it play out. If police canvassed the building, floor by floor, apartment by apartment, well she had her alibi all laid out crisp and ready.

"_No officer, I never saw this man before in my life…,"_ she'd say straight faced.

Nick just needed to die already. He had dropped back in her life when she didn't need or want him and he'd overstayed his welcome. Not one to take hints, she had to get a little rough with him and well, now he wouldn't be pestering her anymore. She could go on with her life and someday she'd be able to eat an ice cream cone again.

Her phone vibrated and she pulled it out. She saw that it was Alicia so of course she had to answer it.

"Hi, what's up?"

Alicia paused.

"You are coming to work today?"

Kalinda walked away from the window.

"Oh yeah…sure…sure…I know I've dropped out of sight…"

"No kidding…Diane and Will are being forced by the trustee to make cuts and you don't want to lose your job."

Kalinda knew it'd never happen because she just had too much info on both Diane and Will and soon enough she'd add the trustee to the list as well. After all, she was the only true untouchable at Lockhart, Gardner and whatever and now that she was done keeping house for Nick, she could go back to doing some investigating. Speaking of which she owed Eli Gold a phone call on what he'd asked her to do. No, she wasn't into helping Peter on his campaign at all, but when Eli had told her it was Alicia who needed help, she'd been prepared to drop everything even Nick.

Glancing back at the window, she realized she had dropped him in a matter of speaking. She did know he'd never darken the day of Alicia ever, ever again.

"I'll be there for the interrogation," Kalinda said, "I just have a little mess to clean up here first."

Alicia sighed.

"It's not that husband of yours…really Kalinda you have to think about leaving him."

Kalinda smiled to herself.

"I'm…considering it at this point…I'll see you in an hour…"

She clicked off the phone and went to grab her purse and her gun to leave the apartment, putting her shades on to slide past where the cops were scraping what was left of her husband off the pavement as flies began to swirl around.

* * *

Cary ducked into an office and wasn't seen again for a while, while Diane continued to her own office where the trustee was waiting for her.

"You need to cut about 30% of your clerical staff."

Diane sat down and sighed after pouring herself a cognac. It'd been a tough commute on the freeway and she'd been sapped by the time she'd reached the office. With the firm teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and Will just back in the saddle full time, Diane had to keep one step ahead of the creditors. Eli Gold still hung out in Alicia's new corner office but mercifully enough, wasn't in the office at the time.

Though she'd never admit it publicly unless she'd consumed a lot of alcohol, a part of her sound the political consultant downright sexy. She knew he had a thing for younger women, much younger women like that nanny about a year's back so anything developing between the two of them would just be hopeless at this point.

"Are you paying attention Mrs. Lockhart?"

She blinked her eyes and looked at the trustee not finding him attractive in the least. She supposed that was for the best because to lust after the man who already exerted too much control over her life and that of the firm's was just intolerable. She'd always been an ambitious and very strong woman, rising up in the Democratic Party ranks to the point where she'd been asked to seek out a judgeship. But she'd turned all those offers down. Now, with her firm on the urge of financial ruin and smoldering in the ashes she wondered if she'd made the right decisions.

It was too late to change her path now. If she were meant to go down in flames then so shall it be. If Stern were still alive, he'd never let her live it down and he'd be laughing in her face right now. Then her eyes narrowed because wait a minute, wasn't that him materializing in front of her right now?

Or rather his ghost…?

Oh God, yes she saw him with the chains still around his neck and now the flesh around his face starting to rot so that the bones appeared.

"What is it, what do you want?"

The trustee just looked at her perplexed.

"Do you have something to say?"

She felt flustered and she knew she'd spoken out loud but there stood Stern tormenting her from across the room where he stood…somewhat translucent.

"No…not really," she said, "30%, do you really think it's that bad?"

He nodded gravely.

"It's very bad…and if cutting the clerical staff doesn't help, we'll have to let more lawyers go."

Diane groaned.

"More lawyers," she said, "We're bare boned as it stands since the last round of cuts."

The trustee nodded.

"Yes but we have to come up with $20 million in savings and it's going to be done by making brutal sacrifices and heartbreaking decisions…"

Diane knew that to be true but she didn't like being in the hot seat. Where the hell was Will right now and why did he leave the grunt work to her to do?

Why wouldn't Stern ever leave her alone?

* * *

Will just stared at Alicia.

"I didn't know you still loved him."

Alicia shrugged her padded shoulders.

"I didn't know either but when I saw him on the bus, I just had to kiss him."

Will snarled his lip.

"But those lips of his…they've sucked hookers' toes."

Alicia recoiled inwardly though none of it showed on her well manicured face. She'd ditched those god awful bangs that made her look like Joan Crawford and gone with a more casual look to appeal to the demographic that Peter had been most trying to reach on the campaign trail.

"I know but I've forgiven him his many sins," Alicia said, "It's not like I didn't cheat on him either, the night I spent with you."

"Our night was kismet. It was meant to be Alicia," he said, "but if you go back to him, you're setting women so far back."

Alicia glowered not wanting to be reminded of how much.

"Will, what we had was very special but it's over…it's been over and I belong to Peter now."

He just looked at her incredulously.

"You belong to him…well what about me?"

She just arched one of her severe eyebrows at him.

"What about you, Will," she said, "My husband's running for governor and he needs me by his side as the loving wife and that's where I'll be…from now on."

She meant it too as she walked out of the office away from him and headed to the elevator waiting for those doors to open.

God knew what lay behind them.


	10. Chapter 10

The trustee just looked at the woman lying on the couch, so stylishly dressed. Almost as if she'd been carefully costumed before putting into a coffin to be permanently at rest…only this woman was alive.

It was Diane and she'd taken to the couch among murmurs that she'd seen the chains of one of their ex-partners rattling in the hallways following her wherever she went. Appearing like vapor in front of her when least expected.

The trustee couldn't care less about dead ex-partners seeking revenge on those who betrayed or wronged them. He just cared about the bottom line after being pulled by one of the judges who had season tickets to the theater where the Trustee had been playing an extra in the chorus in a off-off-off of Broadway hit musical. He'd been the sixth monk on the left in the second row during several of the production numbers. The judge had been so impressed by his baritone that he'd been recruited to serve as the Trustee for Lockhart, Gardner and whatever was left after they'd been kicked out of bankruptcy court.

"Are you awake?"

Diane opened an eye cautiously and looked up to see this man looking down at her who just couldn't be an angel from heaven and he didn't appear to be a demon at the gates of Hell either. He was…wait a minute here…he was the Trustee.

Oh god, she'd rather have her skin flayed in Hell layer by layer by Old Scratch himself than have to deal with this court appointed bean counter. She'd run this firm through some of the worst tragedies imaginable including Will's most recent bar suspension, the federal investigation against Kalinda by that slinky federal agent Lana. Diane knew she was as straight as they came but if she ever felt tempted to well you know, switch hit, the tall, svelte perky brunette with the badge might be just up her alley. But she was into neoconservative patriarchal sexist type frontier men who were alpha to the core and took charge, caring women like her kicking and screaming (without meaning it) to their man caves. Oh just thinking about the last one…made her feel hot inside enough to forget that she was being haunted by one of the former partners and stalked by the Trustee.

She sat up indignantly not letting her mini skirt rise up too high up her thighs.

"I am always awake," she said, "What do you want?"

The Trustee stood his ground which to Diane just made him more of an ass.

"Look I know you're buddy buddy with one of our junior attorneys Cary Argos but as long as you don't bring it to the office…"

The trustee just looked at her blankly.

"What…oh you mean Mr. Argos," he said, "He's my friend, my best friend. We share witty repertoire and he tells me everything that's going on this office."

Diane sighed.

"I'm well aware that Cary is spying…probably for Peter his ex-boss but he's harmless," she said, "I'm more worried about Kalinda. Where the hell has she been?"

The Trustee shrugged.

"I don't know and I don't care," he said, "Maybe she's on the termination list."

Diane just laughed out loud.

"Oh get real…Kalinda can do whatever she wants and we'll let her because she's one bad bitch in a pair of boots who will do the ugly stuff we don't want to dirty our hands with."

Will rushed into the office looking at both Diane and the Trustee with deep suspicion.

"I knew it…I knew it…Diane you are consorting with the enemy," Will said, "And the other silent partners insisted that you were on the up and up and on our side."

Diane felt irritation fill her but she felt hung over too from tequila night spent at the bar with Alicia and Kalinda. She didn't remember exactly what had happened but it probably was tame given that Kalinda was "flexible" but mysterious and Alicia was repressed…and only less boring when she liquored up and forgot her inhibitions.

"I am not Will…god you are so paranoid."

He waggled a finger in her face.

"At least I'm not seeing ghosts," he said, "You didn't make much sense rambling on about what's his name rattling his chains. He's dead Diane…dead and buried, his heart residing in Hell to burn forever."

She thought she detected some hostility in Will's voice.

"What's your problem? Just because she decided to be the good wife and rush back to her hubby's pullout bed in his campaign bus, that doesn't mean you can fall apart and pull the firm down with you."

The trustee cleared his voice.

"That won't happen," he said, "I'm here to help you and that means keeping you both on the straight path."

Will looked puzzled.

"I am straight…I don't know about Diane because she gets wigged out from scotch but I only do women."

The Trustee almost said something but apparently thought wiser of it. Diane just flared her nostrils.

"I'm straight…most of the time," she said, "Okay I had a thing for that judge who got me on Emily's list but I'm so over that."

Will folded his arms.

"Really…I heard stories…"

She sighed right back.

"I heard stories about you too," she said, "how you cavort with the interns."

"Oh that… you must have me mistaken with Eli Gold," Will said, "He's the one who is friendly with them not me."

The Trustee just watched them both thinking that this must be why the firm was sinking into financial ruin. He knew he had his work cut out for him but he was the best. He knew what he had to do and he needed to make it painless.

* * *

Kalinda had left her husband to be scraped off the sidewalk after his long and sudden detour way down. She'd tired of him really she did…okay it'd been nice to pull knives on each other in the kitchen while she cooked eggs for him in her little maid outfit. They'd hit the sheets and she'd played the adoring helpless wife not the fiery, dynamic woman that she'd been before her aura of mystery had been ripped away by Nick's reappearance.

He'd been such a whiny little wimp but it'd taken her weeks to notice that and when she finally did…when he dared to hurt one precious hair on Alicia's head or undo her curls, that's when Kalinda had renounced all feelings for her husband, that's why it had been war and she'd been forced to eliminate him. Not that anyone would trace it back to her because only Alicia knew that he'd been her husband. Even when Cary had shown up battered and bruised from some basketball pickup game collision, he'd been none the wiser. The young chap with the baby face and the smooth timbre in his voice had stuck up for her and if she didn't think him too bland and boring she'd be impressed by it. She knew that Nick had his goons go after Cary but her mind had been on Alicia.

"Good morning Kalinda…"

She looked up to see that oily looking snake salesman Eli Gold and she forced a smile at him that looked more like a Mona Lisa style smirk.

"Good morning Eli and no I won't help Peter's campaign," she said, "He's ruined Alicia's life with his promiscuity and broken promises."

Eli frowned.

"Didn't you sleep with him one night?"

"Well yeah…but only cause I had to pay him back for you know…a favor he did."

Eli nodded appearing to comprehend what she said but that smile of his, it just looked creepier than Nick's hairline.

"Favor…do I even want to know?"

Kalinda folded her arms.

"I don't think so," she said, "In fact, I think it's time you get moving so I can go out and do my job."

Eli blocked her path which annoyed Kalinda. She'd have to do something about it in a minute, something he wouldn't like.

"You can't…you can't seduce Alicia…not until Peter wins the governorship."

Now that annoyed Kalinda. Why did everyone assumed she wanted to get into Alicia's pants? She had standards after all and the uptight middle aged woman with the too made up face and the severely cut bangs just didn't do it for her.

"Just get out of my way…before I kick your ass and you see these boots…"

But Eli didn't stick around to listen to the rest of her threat. She smiled as she watched him scurry off thinking between his retreat and Nick's icing the day had started out quite well.


	11. Chapter 11

Diane wanted to be the next court justice in the worst way. Okay she really wanted to be governor but that wasn't happening any time soon. The state wasn't ready for a female at the helm, not even a bleeding heart liberal dressed up conservatively. She knew at least as a justice, she'd have the backing of the powerful we're not feminist but cabal.

The money had started rolling in especially since the decision to make Alicia an equity partner. That had been a no-brainer really because even though Cary had become a much smarter, hardworking attorney, he just didn't have the connections that Alicia had to get ahead in the firm. Not that Alicia was shy about using her husband figuring he owed her since getting caught sucking a prostitute's toe.

Cary might not like it but that's how the world worked and besides Alicia proved to be so damn trusting of both Diane who mentored her of course and of her ex-boyfriend Will who played her with such finesse

Diane didn't have a whole lot of use for Will but she knew that Alicia underneath those tightly buttoned blouses and ironed skirts held a torch for him…one that time and little else had snuffed out.

She had Will on the phone right now.

"Do you think she'll do it? Take the case?"

Will had to be beaming on the other end of the phone line.

"Sure thing…we were hitting some beers at the watering hole last night and once the nostalgia kicks in…she's putty in my hands."

Diane didn't feel too sure about that but whatever Will thought…it might be true after all. She thought Alicia might still be steaming from the last time they'd used her as a prop or a Trojan horse to be specific to help out the software company that had lined their wallets during the so-called bankruptcy episode.

Alicia had sniffled and whined a bit about being double crossed by her own partners but she'd get over it. A few smoldering looks and maybe a kiss or two from Will and she'd be happy again.

"She told me she's going to do the vow renewal thing with Peter in Hawaii."

Diane hadn't known that.

"He sure works fast…only took him three years to get to that point."

"Yeah they've been hot and heavy," Will said, "but nothing to worry about…he's nothing compared to me."

"I'm sure of that but we still need her," Diane said, "Especially since we now know what Cary's been up to these past weeks."

Will sighed.

"Didn't figure he'd betray us."

"Me neither…had he always seemed like a good little boy scout… or did I imagine it?"

"No you didn't," Will said, "He had me fooled too and that's not easy but we'll handle him the same way we did with the previously invisible legal assistants that tried to rise up against us…pay the ringleaders off and they fade back with the furniture."

Diane had to admit that plan had worked out quite well. Everyone else had folded back to serving coffee and filing papers for the partners. She wondered if Cary would be that easy but then she knew how much he'd wanted to be a partner rather than just another fourth year lost in the crowd. He'd been trying to get his successful father to approve and love him most of his life…a tool to be used to keep him in line.

"I'll have a talk with Cary over beers," Will said, "See if I can rein him in quick."

Diane clicked her manicured fingers on the desk.

"And what about Alicia?"

"I'll handle her next…I reserved our old hotel suite. It'll be like old times…"

Diane clicked off her phone thinking she'd accomplished so much today. Kurt would be waiting at the restaurant tonight for a response to his proposal. She had a couple hours to come up with a way to beg off while still keeping him in her bed on occasion. Even a future justice just had to get it on sometimes and Kurt might be a fascist but he was one big hunk of burning lust.

"Diaaaaaaannneeeeeee…."

The raspy voice, she knew it was him before looking up to see the transparent figure by the doorway.

"Oh go away…back to Hell where you belong…I got our firm to run…."

* * *

Cary sat in the cubicle where he spent most of his days feeling puzzled. He'd just offered Kalinda a job as investigator for the new firm. She wanted bennies including health coverage, something Will had denied her.

Now he was smart enough to know that she always worked an angle for herself and if that meant using him, so be it. But he frowned just then…what had happened between them the other night at the bar? God, he couldn't remember now. Had they…but he still remained in the dark. She never brought it up but smiled at him a bit differently.

"Hey…"

He looked up and saw Robyn the new investigator, the one that had Kalinda a little less than cool right now.

"Hi Robyn, how can I help you?"

She sighed.

"I'm looking for Kalinda…she's supposed to show me the ropes and she pulls this disappearing act all the time."

Cary's mouth curved in amusement.

"That's just like her isn't it? I needed her this morning to do some background on a tort. No, I haven't seen her today."

He didn't like lying but Kalinda said it was important that no one knew where she went. He wondered not for the first time why he always did as she asked, came when she beckoned. Maybe it had something to do with what he didn't remember from the other night.

"I need to find her…she's supposed to show me how to work the database, the one that's tapped into Interpol."

Cary didn't know anything about that.

"I think she might be at the ice cream parlor down the street. She's been hanging out there lately."

Robyn digested that and then they both looked up to see Alicia watching them from across the room with an eyebrow arched. Cary smiled at her because he knew she suspected and that she might pass along more than she admitted.

"Okay…I'll see you later then…this job is awesome but the partners really have to do something about Kalinda being so flaky."

Flaky, Cary thought. Hardly but Robyn had already left. Alicia just stared at him and he knew he had to be very careful around her.

* * *

Zach toked up with his friends at school so tired of being the perfect son to his parents. He'd find out soon enough whether his father would be the next governor and then he'd never have a life of his own. He'd be living under a microscope unable to have any freedom at all and life would be put on hold until his father stepped down.

Of course his luck he'd decide he wanted to be president of the United States with Eli running his campaign and Zach just didn't trust that guy. He had his finger dipped into too many questionable circumstances and even his mother started paying attention to it. But Alicia was too damn busy selling her own soul to get Peter elected.

He liked it when it'd just been the three of them on their own in the cramped townhouse. His mother had depended on him to be quite the sleuth, one step ahead of older and wiser professionals who'd instead proven to be bumbling idiots.

He needed to be back in that situation again like it had been but how would he do that?


End file.
